1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to an electronic device such as a vehicle-mounted radio, compact disk player or cassette player, in which the device body is detachable from a stationary portion of the device, and a control unit is detachable from the device body. More particularly, this invention relates to a detachable electronic device in which the device body can not be detached from the stationary portion when the control unit is removed from the device body.
2. Description of the Prior Art
FIG. 13 is a partial side view of a conventional detachable electronic device.
A frame-shaped stationary portion 1, typically made of a metal plate, is embedded in a console panel (typically the dashboard of an automobile). A device body 2 consists of a casing 3 and a nose portion 4 fixed in front of the casing 3. A control unit 13 is detachably mounted on the front of the nose portion 4. On the front of control unit 13 is an operating panel 13a on which various operating buttons and a liquid crystal panel are typically provided. Further, a lock mechanism for locking the attached control unit 13 is provided between the control unit 13 and the nose portion 4. A lock release button 13e is provided on the operating panel 13a. When the lock release button 13e is pushed, the control unit 13 is released from the nose portion 4 and the control unit 13 can be taken out of the nose portion 4.
A support shaft 5b is provided on each of the left and right sides of the nose portion 4. A handle 5 is pivotally supported by the support shaft 5b. During device operation, the handle 5 is in the position indicated by the solid lines in FIG. 13 and extends along the sides and bottom surface of the nose portion 4. Furthermore, the handle 5 can be pivotally moved to a position indicated by the broken lines in FIG. 13 to extend in front of the nose portion 4.
A lock arm 6 is pivotally and movably fastened to the handle 5 with a pin 7. A guide pin 8 is fixed on the side surface of the casing 3. The guide pin 8 slides along a guide groove 6b formed in the lock arm 6. Thus, the lock arm 6 is adapted to move with the handle 5 as the handle 5 moves pivotally. A lock projection portion 6a is formed at an end of the lock arm 6 and a lock hole 1a is formed in the stationary portion 1.
When the device body 2 is inserted into the stationary portion 1 and the handle 5 is rotated to the position indicated by solid lines (i.e., the down position) the lock projection portion 6a, formed at the end of the lock arm 6, is fitted into the lock hole 1a of the stationary portion 1 and the device body 2 is locked and removably fixed to the stationary portion 1.
A push button 9 for moving the handle 5 into the extended position is provided on an upper part of the front of the nose portion 4. If the button 9 is pushed when the handle 5 is in the down or operating position (as indicated by the solid lines in FIG. 13), a pivot force plate 9a provided in the inside of the nose portion 4 is pivotally moved counterclockwise so that the handle 5 is pivotally moved counterclockwise to the extended position (shown by broken lines in FIG. 13) where the handle 5 protrudes from the nose portion and is easy to grasp. When the handle 5 is pivotally moved counterclockwise, the lock projection portion 6a moves out of the lock hole 1a and the device body 2 is released from the stationary portion 1. When the handle 5 is pivotally moved to the extended position, device body 2 is pulled out of the stationary portion 1 by the handle 5 in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 13.
With the above described vehicle-mounted audio device, when the device body 2 is pulled out of the stationary portion 1 and removed, the device body 2 can be stored safe from theft and damage while the vehicle is parked. Further, when the vehicle is parked for a short time, it is possible to detach only the control unit 13 from the nose portion 4 and carry the control unit 13 away from the vehicle. As a result of detaching the control unit 13, electronic circuits and various mechanisms provided in the device body 2 become inoperable, i.e., the operation of the device body 2 can not be controlled when the operating member 13 is detached, and there is limited use for only the device body 2. Consequently, a theft of the device body 2 from the vehicle can be discouraged.
However, even when the control unit 13 is removed, if the handle 5 is pivotally moved to the extended position, the device body 2 can still be removed from the stationary portion 1. Therefore, there is still a possibility that even when the control unit 13 is carried outside of the vehicle, the device body 2 may be stolen from the vehicle.